An Age of Mischief
by Kallypso
Summary: In the years before Voldemort's first war which took so many lives, the soldiers who fought and died were only students. This captures the Hogwarts years of James, Sirius, Remus, Peter, Lily, Alice, Frank, Narcissa and Severus, from first years through the war. Before loss there was love. Before hate their was friendship. And before an age of war there was an age of mischief.
1. Chapter 1: The Beginning

_**A/N: Here begins my first Harry Potter fanfiction (not counting the one I started in middle school and have long since deleted). This fanfic follows the school years of the four marauders, plus Lily, Frank and Alice Longbottom, Severus Snape and Narcissa Black. There is one OC involved in the story but since this an ensemble cast she will not be featured anymore than any of the others. The fic will take the characters from first year through seventh year as well as through the war. I will be keeping as close to the canon as possible.**_

_**A few canon details will be broken for the sake of this fic. For one thing, ages. I have aged down Bellatrix to a third year and made her the middle sister rather than the oldest, mostly because I wanted to involve her more in the story. I also aged Lucius Malfoy down by one year to keep him in the story longer.**_

_**As always, feedback is appreciated. Without further ado, let us begin.**_

**An Age of Mischief**

**Chapter 1: The Beginning**

"_I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."_

― _Fred__ and George Weasley__, __Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban_

James Potter gazed up in awe at the Hogwarts Express. The red and black paint gleamed so brightly as it peeked from the haze of smoke in the tunnel, as if it was brand new. In the midst of the bustling platform 9 ¾ it looked like magic.

And not normal magic. James, as a member of well-respected pureblood wizarding family, was well used to normal magic. The familiar bursts of light from the tip of a wand each time a spell was cast by his parents. Moving memories in frames on the walls when he ran down the stairs each morning. Potions bubbling in large pewter cauldrons in the kitchens when he snuck in to steal a sweet from under the nose of the cook. Such things had always been common place for James Potter. He read books when he was a child with pictures that danced before his eyes. He'd received his first toy broom the moment he could walk. And he had never, under any circumstances, missed a game of the Quidditch World Cup since he was five years old.

He had long been familiar with Hogwarts as well. He heard the stories of the professors and the moving staircases and the ghosts who roamed every hall. He had visited Diagon alley many times, wistfully gazing into the shop windows, wishing for the day that he might wander into Ollivanders to pick out his wand.

At last his time had arrived. He had bought his books and his robes and received his wand from Mr. Ollivander. Eleven inches, mahogany with a phoenix feather core. Good for transfiguration, the old man had said, to which his father had joked that James better not turn any of his classmates into anything unsavory. James had laughed in return, promising that he wouldn't—probably.

But the enormity of the moment hadn't set in—not really—until he stood on platform 9 ¾ gazing up at the train that was to take him to school for the first time. His heart fluttered in his chest like the wings of his brand new Eagle Owl, Roderick. The creature hadn't stopped making a ruckus since James bought him, but he liked the bird's spirit. All around him, other families shifted through the station, saying hello to old friends and bidding their children goodbye. Many of them would be his classmates soon. James shifted eagerly from foot to foot, his glasses slipping just a bit down his nose.

_Here's where it all begins._

"Ready, James?" his father appeared beside him, resting a strong hand on his shoulder. "You're not nervous are you?"

James quickly closed his open mouth, adopting a stance of indifference—or trying to at least. "Not a chance. Why would I be?"

"It's a big day, after all." His father sighed. "I still remember when I boarded this train for the first time."

"And were you nervous?" James asked, looking up at him.

His father grinned down at him. "Terrified."

James laughed.

"You didn't have any reason to be." James' mother appeared on his other side. "And neither will you James. You're bright enough to be among the best at Hogwarts. As long as you don't cause too much mischief." She gave him a look.

James gave a cheeky smile, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Aw, Mum, why would I cause any mischief? Me? Your little angel?"

"Right." Her mouth quirked. "I'm only saying, I better not receive any letters complaining of your behavior."

"Not for a month at least." James' father joked.

"Of course, Dad. I'll wait for two months." James held up his hand in a mock swear.

"Boys," Mrs. Potter rolled her eyes to the sky.

The train whistle blew and James' stomach gave a little lurch of anticipation. Mr. Potter looked up. "They'll be leaving soon. You want to get on before everyone else rushes the train so you can find a seat."

"Right." James said breathlessly.

"Come here." Mrs. Potter pulled him into a hug. He halfheartedly struggled.

"Mum… I'll be fine!"

"I know," she held him at arm's length, tears gleaming in her eyes. James was the only son of the Potters, given to them later in life, and though he was only eleven, they had already started to grey. They doted on him. And now he was off on his own. "You're so grown up." She shook her head.

"He'll be fine, darling." Mr. Potter said, hiding misty eyes of his own. He gave him a hug as well. "We'll write soon."

"Okay. But not too much." James said, pulling back. "I'll be okay."

"We know." Mr. Potter said, stepping back and wrapping an arm around his wife's shoulders. "Off with you now."

James nodded, gripping his cart and pushing toward the train. This was the dawning of a new age for him. He could only hope he made his mark.

* * *

Sirius had weaseled away from his other family as soon as he reached the platform. Not that anyone had noticed. His mother was much too busy fawning over Regulus, Sirius older brother, who was just beginning his sixth year. Regulus the bright one. The promising young wizard who would one day go onto great things.

Sirius hadn't set foot on the Hogwarts Express yet, but his family already seemed to agree he was destined to fail.

What did they matter though? This beautiful train was all that mattered, and the school to which it would soon spirit him away. A whole year living away from home. Imagine that! He could get away with murder in a huge castle like Hogwarts and his family would never be the wiser. He wouldn't be under the watchful eye of that creepy house elf, Kreacher or in the shadow of his brother. Maybe he'd pretend he wasn't a Black at all. He could pretend to belong to another family instead.

No, perhaps he wouldn't get away with that. The professors would know. He huffed, blowing a scraggly piece of dark hair from his eyes. Well, he'd find other ways to reinvent himself.

Nearing the train now, Sirius froze mid-step as he saw the other branch of the Black family standing only meters away. Bellatrix Black, a soon to be third year, was laughing at something, fingering her slightly curved wand as if wanting to hex some innocent creature. Her curly black hair stuck up every which way, falling in her eyes in places, giving her the look of a feral cat. But any feral cat would tuck tail and run at the sight of his cousin. Sirius had always loathed her.

The eldest sister, he had little opinion of. He talked rarely with Andromea who had finished Hogwarts just last year. He heard occasional rumors about her. Rumors that she associated with muggles. But no one said such rumors to her face.

The youngest, Narcissa, was his age, a first year as well. Her parents were fussing over her at the moment. She had a peculiar look for a Black with platinum blonde hair instead of dark like her sisters. She held her head high like anyone in the family but she seemed considerably more shy than the rest of them. Sirius got on alright with her. But he wanted to avoid Bellatrix at all costs.

He swerved into a large group of first years, heading excitedly toward the train. In the process, he forgot to watch where he was going and he accidentally rammed his cart into someone else's.

"Woah!" A boy with dark hair and round glasses stumbled to grab hold of a cage which had started to tip. He had a nice looking Eagle Owl in the cage who squawked indignantly at the upset. "Easy there." He straightened the cage, shaking his head. "Sorry about that."

"No, it was my fault." Sirius said. "Wasn't watching where I was going." He glanced over the heads of the crowd to make sure his cousins hadn't noticed him. They hadn't. "Er, are you a first year too?"

"Sure am." The boy stuck out a hand. "I'm James Potter. You?"

"Sirius," Sirius replied. He left off his last name for now. "Nice to meet you."

"Same." James grinned. He was a friendly boy to be sure, but not in a deceitful, false-polite way. His smile was supremely honest and Sirius felt as if he was genuinely glad to meet him.

The Eagle Owl squawked loudly again and James wacked his cage. "Oy, Roderick, pipe down for a second, would you?"

"Roderick?" Sirius raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, named him for Roderick Plumpton." James said proudly. "He had the record for the fastest capture of the golden snitch."

"3.5 seconds," Sirius remembered. "Ridiculous time."

"Yeah." James smiled. "You follow Quidditch?"

"I follow it. Not that great at it though." Sirius shrugged. "You?"

"Love it." James said. "I'm going to get on a team at Hogwarts as soon as they let me. You should give it a go too. Just in case you're not as bad as you think."

Sirius stared at him. This boy had a strange amount of optimism that he wasn't used to. His family loved to assume the worst and dismiss good results as a fluke. Sirius was beginning to think he could get along well with James Potter. "I just might."

The train whistled again, more insistent.

"Come on. Let's get on the train. Want to sit with me?" James asked.

"Sure," Sirius said breathlessly.

"Brilliant. I was worried about finding a seat with someone I know." James turned and started heading toward the train where they were storing the luggage.

"You don't know me yet," Sirius pointed out. He hadn't even given him his last name.

"I know you like Quidditch." James shrugged. "That's good enough, don't you think?"

Sirius managed a grin. "I suppose so."

It seemed this year was already off on a good foot. Or at least a thousand times better foot than any year spent with his family.

_This is a change I could get used to._

* * *

Lily Evans wound a long strand of red hair around her finger, heart beating anxiously in her chest. Her throat was still tight from her last argument with Petunia. She had wanted so badly for Petunia to smile at her and hug her. To tell her that there were no hard feelings. But her sister had only turned up her nose.

Across from her, her friend Severus seemed immune to her nervousness. His leg bounced up and down as he gazed out the window, watching the countryside role by. He must be very glad to be leaving home and his horrid father. To be honest, Lily was glad he was here with her, even though she sort of blamed him for making Tuney mad at her.

"She hates me," she mumbled to herself.

Severus glanced at her. "What?"

"Tuney hates me." Lily tugged harshly on a strand of hair.

"No she doesn't." Severus said. "And even if she does. She's only…" he trailed off and shifted awkwardly. The door to their compartment opened and two boys entered, talking eagerly about Quidditch. Severus had told Lily about the game but she still didn't understand it. But they seemed very interested as they didn't pay Lily or Severus any mind.

"But it doesn't matter right now." Severus said. "We made it. We're finally off to Hogwarts." The enthusiasm in his voice was infectious and Lily couldn't help but smile too.

"I _am _excited." She fidgeted with her wand in her lap. 10 ¾ inches willow with a core of unicorn hair. The old wand maker, Ollivander, told her it was a good wand for Charms work. Lily did not yet know what made Charms work different from any other type of magic, but it sounded exciting.

"You'd better be in Slytherin," said Severus, seeming a little brighter now that she was no longer sad.

"Slytherin?"

One of the boys sharing the compartment, who had shown no interest at all in Lily or Snape until that point, looked around at the word. He had black hair and blue eyes hidden behind round glasses, and a smile that Lily found arrogant. "Who wants to be in Slytherin? I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?" he asked the boy lounging on the seats opposite him.

The boy didn't smile, rubbing a hand behind his head awkwardly. "Hey now… most of my family has been in Slytherin."

"You don't say." The boy with glasses raised an eyebrow. "And you seemed alright."

The other boy smiled nervously. "You don't know. Maybe I'll be the one to break the chain." He shifted. "And where are you headed… if you have the choice."

"Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart." The bespectacled boy puffed out his chest proudly. "Like my dad."

Severus made a small, disparaging noise, drawing the arrogant boy's attention once again.

"Got a problem with that?"

"No," said Severus, though his slight sneer said otherwise. "If you'd rather be brawny than brainy – "

"Where're you hoping to go, seeing as you're neither?" interjected the arrogant boy's companion. Lily bristled as the bespectacled boy roared with laughter flushing bright red. She stood abruptly, shooting them both a look that could cut steel. How dare they insult her friend? What had he done?

"Come on, Severus, let's find another compartment."

"Oooooo..." the boys sang.

Severus seemed like he wanted to stop to confront them but Lily grabbed his arm and kept him going. The bespectacled boy stuck out his foot as they passed and Severus stumbled a bit. "See ya, Snivellus!"

Lily slammed the compartment door shut.

"I can't believe them," she huffed. "Arrogant, good for nothing…" she trailed off, shaking her head. "Are you alright, Severus."

"Fine," he sniffed, adjusting his robe. "I've heard worse."

Lily bit her lip. "Come on. I'm sure there's another compartment open somewhere. One without _them_." She strode down the hall, chin high and Severus trotted after her. She didn't even know the names of the two boys who had insulted them, but she resolved to hate both of them for the remainder of the school year. Maybe forever.

Absolutely nothing good could come of people like that.

* * *

_**A/N: We will meet the rest of the characters in the next chapter. Tell me what you thought of this first entry and REVIEW! I will be updating weekly on Mondays as best as I can. Have a good week!**_


	2. Chapter 2: Seeds of Friendship

**_A/N: Thanks so much for all of the reviews, favorites and follows last chapter. I really appreciate the feedback. Here's the next chapter, in which we meet the rest of our cast of characters. Enjoy!_  
**

**Chapter 2: Seeds of Friendship**

_"Go on, have a pasty," said Harry, who had never had anything to share before or, indeed, anyone to share it with. It was a nice feeling, sitting there with Ron, eating their way through all Harry's pasties, cakes, and candies (the sandwiches lay forgotten)."  
― Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone  
_

To Remus Lupin, the train to Hogwarts, which should have been full of wonder and excitement, was full of worry and questions knocking around his head, stirring anxiety in his heart. The encouragements from Albus Dumbledore that there would be no problem with Remus' condition seemed so dull in his mind compared to the fearful voices that plagued him.

_What if someone finds out about what you are?_

_A monster._

_That's what you are, Remus. A monster now._

_No one would come near you if they knew._

Remus shifted in his seat, fidgeting with his robe. He glanced around at the other occupants of the compartment, as if he thought they could hear his thoughts. A tall, gangly boy who looked about his age sat in the corner, asleep against the window. And a short boy with a mousy face whom he could have mistaken for younger than him sat next to the compartment door, knees bouncing restlessly. At least someone else was nervous.

The short boy caught Remus' watchful gaze and gave a tentative smile. "I-I've never been this far away with home without someone I know. What about you?"

Remus shook his head. Since the incident, he was kept very close to home indeed. Being without his parents was disorienting and frightening to say the least.

"I guess a lot of us first years haven't." the boy looked around. "I hear it's very safe though."

_You might not think that if you knew what I was, _Remus thought but he kept his thoughts to himself.

"I'm Peter, by the way," the boy piped. "Peter Pettigrew. I'm a half blood. Dad's a wizard but mum's an accountant. Er… sorry, if I'm bothering you. I talk a lot when I'm… well, I talk a lot."

"It's fine." Remus smiled. He figured he should be friendly for as long as he could. "I'm Remus Lupin."

"Nice to meet you." Peter brightened at the response, and the smile seemed only to loosen his tongue further. "Find all your books alright? It sure was a lot. But some of them look really interesting. I've already begun to read about Transfiguration. I can't wait to begin. What are you interested in?"

Remus found the boy's enthusiasm oddly comforting and he became more willing to talk. "Defense against the Dark Arts. Though Transfiguration sounds interesting as well. I've scanned a few of the books myself." An understatement. He'd read the entirety of two of them already. Maybe he hadn't comprehended every word, but he couldn't stop himself. He'd always been a fast reader, and bright for his age.

"I love books. I really do." Peter nodded. "But I don't think I'm quite suited to Ravenclaw. I'm a slow reader. Not as bright as them." He fidgeted. "I hope I'm not in Hufflepuff. It would be a real embarrassment to my Dad, I'm sure. I hear Hufflepuffs never go on to do anything."

Remus nodded absently in agreement, though he would be perfectly fine with Hufflepuff. He just wanted to be able to stay at Hogwarts. He wanted to pretend, at least in the light of day, that he was a normal wizard child, like any other.

As much as he worried about being found out and being shunned, the prospect of solitude did not scare him. It was the prospect of being asked to leave that tore at his gut.

"I'd rather be in Hufflepuff than Slyherin," the boy who was asleep at the window had woken up. "I hear they're a nasty lot. Better to be with nobodies than with folks like that. I hear that most wizards who go dark come from there." He held out a hand to Remus. "I'm Frank, by the way. Frank Longbottom."

"Nice to meet you." Remus tentatively accepted the hand. "I'm Remus."

"Peter." Peter piped, also shaking Frank's hand. "So where would you go, Frank? Which house?"

"My parents were Gryffindors. I think I'd like to go there." Frank rested his arms behind his head. "I'm not much of a learner anyway, so I wouldn't want to go to Ravenclaw. Did you know that to get into the common room, you have to answer a riddle? I'd be in the hall all night!"

"Sounds hard." Peter said and Remus nodded, though he didn't entirely agree. Answering a riddle didn't sound so bad.

"What do Gryffindors have to do to get in?" he asked curiously.

"Oh, there's just a password. Their hall is guarded by the Fat Lady's Portrait. She's been there for ages." Frank said. "Not so hard at all. My guess is that not all people who go to Gryffindor are the brainiest. Nothing wrong with that. I mean, neither am I." He shrugged.

"You can be brave and smart though." Remus speculated.

"Guess so." Frank said.

"I like the sound of Gryffindor," Peter said. "Maybe we'll all end up there?"

"Well, I don't hate any of you yet, so I wouldn't mind it." Frank grinned. Remus couldn't help but smile.

The compartment door opened and Remus turned to see a girl their age standing there, looking breathless. She had long dark hair and big brown eyes. "Hello. I-I don't mean to bother, but I wondered if there was room in this cabin." She looked over her shoulder. "I was in another cabin but it got _very _loud and a little too crowded for me. You seem a bit quieter."

"Sure." Frank gestured to the seat next to him. "Plenty of room. What's your name?"

"Alice Fortesue. I'm a first year." The girl sat down gratefully, relaxing as soon as she did.

"Us too." Frank said. "I'm Frank. And that's Remus and Peter. We were just talking about the houses at Hogwarts."

"Oh, yes." Alice nodded eagerly. "I haven't thought much about it myself. I've been too excited. Haven't been able to sleep well for a week. I guess in all the clamor I didn't think about what house I would be in." She smiled brightly. Remus thought she was a very friendly girl, the kind of friendly that didn't take work. It was just natural and it flooded to every corner of her smile. "I suppose the sorting hat knows best, right?"

"That it does." Frank nodded.

The trolley, a cart lined with all manner of sweets, came by at that moment, pushed by a plump woman with a kind smile. They all swarmed the cart, nerves taken away by the sight of sweets. Remus was delighted to see so much chocolate and he purchased two chocolate frogs for himself. They had always been his favorite.

They sat in the compartment for the rest of the ride, comparing cards and taking turns trying Frank's package of Bertie Botts Every Flavored Beans. Peter ended up the unluckiest when he tasted an earwax flavored one and spat it right back out. Remus laughed, feeling his nervousness melt away completely for the first time in weeks.

Friendship and chocolate had a funny way of doing that.

* * *

Narcissa wandered the length of the train for a long while, running her fingers nervously through her blonde hair. It had taken some effort to escape Bellatrix. As much as Narcissa adored her sister, some of her friends, especially the older ones, scared her. They were tall, imposing and carried dark looks on their faces when they talked.

Bella was brave. She never feared older students even if they were much bigger than her. She could speak to anyone with a confident look on her face. But Narcissa was not the same way. Quiet and shy amongst crowds, she needed a less crowded compartment, perhaps with people more her own age, in order to avoid shrinking into herself.

Most of the compartments were full, except for one near the back. Only one girl sat inside, her nose in a book. She had silvery blonde hair and grey eyes, trained intently on the pages, scanning so fast that Narcissa wondered if she was actually reading the words. She had quite an intense look about her, but at least she was quiet. Narcissa opened the compartment door.

"Is… is this compartment open?"

The girl glanced up, looking disoriented for a moment, as if she hadn't expected to run into any people on this train. Then her lips twitched into a small smile. "Yes. Of course."

"Good." Narcissa breathed a sigh of relief and moved into the compartment, sitting down across from the girl.

"How long has the train been moving?" the girl asked, looking out the window curiously.

Narcissa stared at her. "Er, thirty minutes maybe? Not very long."

"I didn't notice." The girl shook her head. "I was a bit absorbed. I'm surprised you're the first one to try to sit here. I must have scared the others off. I'm told I look very… focused when I'm reading."

"You do." Narcissa agreed. "I didn't want to disturb you. But all the other compartments are rather full."

"Don't worry. I didn't mean to read for this long. I just wanted to read a few pages and then I got lost. Oh," The girl held out her hand. "I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Stella Reed."

"Narcissa Black." Narcissa accepted Stella's hand. "That's a pretty name."

"Thank you, so is yours." Stella said. "I've never met a Narcissa before."

"Neither have I. It's not a common name." Narcissa smiled. This girl was nice. She had a very calm air about her. Very pleasant. "What year are you?"

"A first-year." Stella said.

"Really?" Narcissa's eyebrows shot up.

"Does that surprise you?" Stella asked.

"A bit. I just… most of the other first years are so loud today. Or nervous. You seem like you've done this before." Narcissa managed.

"No." Stella shook her head. "I am nervous, I suppose. I haven't thought about it much. And I'm still a little disoriented from reading. Maybe it will hit me in an hour or so." She shifted in her seat, closing her book and setting it delicately on the seat beside her. "And you? Are you nervous?"

"Very." Narcissa nodded. "Not about my house. I mean, I know for sure I'll be in Slytherin. My whole family has been in Slytherin for generation. But, it's a big place, you know? Lots of crowds. I get nervous sometimes in crowds."

"I do too." Stella smiled. "Is that why it took you so long to find a car?"

"Yes." Narcissa jerked her fingers through her hair. "I was with my sister but she has a lot of friends and it was a bit… too much. You're much quieter."

"I'm told I have a talent for quiet," Stella said. "Not always in a nice way."

"I think it can be nice." Narcissa glanced back toward the door in time to see a familiar boy walking past. "Sirius!" she called out.

The boy froze and for a moment he looked like he was going to bolt. But upon inspecting the car, he slowly opened the door. "Oh… hey, Narcissa. Bellatrix isn't with you, is she?"

"She's at the other end of the train." Narcissa said.

"Ah, good." Sirius glanced over the car again, as if expecting her sister to pop out of one of the bags.

"Who's this, Sirius?" another boy asked, popping his head into the car.

"My cousin, Narcissa," Sirius said. "She's a first year with us. Narcissa this is James Potter." He glanced at Stella. "Don't know who that is."

"Stella Reed," the girl replied.

Sirius nodded once before turning his attention back to Narcissa. "I'm surprised you're not with your sister."

"I escaped. I needed some peace and quiet. My family has been fussing over me all day." Narcissa huffed.

"We don't share that problem." Sirius said, just a hint of bitterness in his voice.

"So what are you doing still looking for a compartment?" Narcissa asked.

"Oh we're not." James said with a grin. "We have a compartment but we decided to go exploring. See if we could find any more interesting company."

"I'm not sure if there's much interesting about us." Narcissa said. "We're the quietest on the train."

"Well you're first years." James shrugged. "We'll be having classes together soon."

"And avoiding homework." Sirius grinned.

"Boys," a voice said from the hall. "If you could please move out of the way. This hall isn't big enough for you and this cart."

"Sweets," Sirius crowed, ducking into the compartment with James. "Finally found it. I've been itching for some of these."

"Me too. Wanted to add to my chocolate frog card collection," James said.

They all ordered eagerly, none of them short on cash. But Narcissa couldn't help but notice that Stella was bizarrely quiet. She stared at the cart with interested but did not buy anything.

"Don't you want something?" Narcissa asked.

"I'm fine," Stella said softly. "I don't have much money to spare on sweets."

"Oh." Narcissa, James and Sirius exchanged glances until Sirius spoke up with a grin.

"Well, luckily for you Stella, everyone else in this compartment is loaded. We'll get some for you too."

"I couldn't—" Stella protested.

"Sure you can." James said, ordering some extra treats. "It's in the name of sugar."

"It's no trouble for us, really." Narcissa said. She had more money than she knew what to do with at Hogwarts. It wouldn't be bad to spare a few galleons on her new friend.

Stella smiled softly, looking down at her lap. "Thank you."

The mood lightened considerably as they began to sort through their plunder. But all the while Narcissa couldn't help but notice Stella. Her eyes kept widening as she looked at the many sugary delights. When she tasted the Every flavored beans. When one of the chocolate frogs escaped and hopped out the window. Like she'd never seen this kind of thing before.

_She's muggleborn, _Narcissa realized with a start. _She really has never seen any of this before._

She bit her lip. If Sirius and James had noticed, they didn't say anything and she probably shouldn't either. It would be best to pretend she didn't know.

If Bella found out… oh Bella would be furious if she found out Narcissa had made friends with a muggleborn. All she ever talked about these days was how inferior they were.

But why would Bella find out? She had much more important things to do than check up on Narcissa's friends.

Narcissa cast a glance at Stella, who was just pocketing her first chocolate frog card, a smile on her face. With any luck, Bella would never find out.

She could only hope.

* * *

**_A/N: So, now we have our full cast. Someone asked in a review of the last chapter who the OC, Stella, would be paired up with. She is an eventual love interest for Sirius but that won't come to fruition for awhile. For now, everyone is just friends. Review and tell me what you think!_**


	3. Chapter 3: The Sorting Hat

**_A/N: Next chapter! This is my favorite chapter I've written so far, in which all of the characters are sorted. I had fun playing with what the sorting meant to each of the characters. I hope you enjoy it too!_  
**

**Chapter 3: The Sorting Hat**

When the train pulled into the station, the students disembarked with murmurs of excitement, some in anticipation of the feast and seeing all of their old friends, some talking of classes and new spells and still others speaking of Peeves and taking bets on what sort of mischief he might cause this year.

But the first years seemed oddly quiet as they were guided away from the others by a massive Game Keeper who called himself Hagrid. Lily had never seen such a gigantic person in her life. He was three times as thick as any man, but also two feet taller, with a great black beard and wild hair atop his head. And yet he spoke in a jolly voice that made it hard to fear him.

Lily scanned the other first years as they moved in a huddle toward the boats. Their excitement was certain. Many had smiles on their faces. But no one, not even the children from good wizarding families, knew exactly what to expect. Lily was glad she wasn't alone in her worry.

They were to approach Hogwarts by a series of small wooden boats. Four students to a boat. She saw no paddles but perhaps magic accounted for that. She imagined magic accounted for everything here.

To her left, one student wondered if the water would be cold and someone on the right spoke of a giant squid that lived in the lake surrounding Hogwarts. Lily didn't think she would like to meet a giant squid. But they had to get into the boats no matter what, so one by one, they filed in.

Severus and Lily moved to the front of one boat and Lily took hold of the lantern. Two boys, who she heard called Remus and Peter, joined them, murmuring hellos as they did. They didn't stop to have a conversation though. Everyone was too eager to make any small talk.

When the boats were loaded they began to make their crossing. For a long moment, Lily didn't see anything in front of them but darkness. But then, like a fairytale melting out of the mist, the castle appeared.

It was something out of a dream, a great structure with a thousand windows lit by just as many flickering lights. Several towers jutted into the sky, tall as mountains to Lily in that moment of wonder. Her mouth dropped open slightly and she leaned forward in the boat, her grip tightening on the lantern. Beside her Severus wore a broad grin that was so rare for him. And Lily couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"What?" he asked, frowning.

"Nothing," Lily replied, giving him a smile. "I'm just… I'm really happy to be here."

Severus nodded, returning the smile.

For all Lily cared, she could fall into the lake right now and come face to face with the giant squid. Nothing could ruin this moment for her. It was simply… magical.

* * *

They were met just outside the Great Hall by a woman who introduced herself as Professor McGonagall. She was an old woman, with wrinkles creasing her face like crumpled paper, but her eyes were sharp as daggers and her posture straight and powerful.

When she had both welcomed and intimidated the first years, she led them into the Great Hall. Four long tables stretched before them, each adorned with their own colors. A table with yellow and black for Hufflepuff. Blue and bronze for Ravenclaw. Red and gold for Gryffindor. And green and silver for Slytherin. The newcomers shuffled after McGonagall, some ducking their heads as they noticed eyes on them and others striding forward confidently.

No matter the feeling, everyone would be sorted before the whole school.

Everyone would face the sorting hat to determine where they belonged.

The first name was read aloud, echoing throughout the Great Hall.

"Esther Allen."

* * *

Narcissa couldn't imagine why she was so nervous. She knew where she belonged. Slytherin, like the rest of her family. She had always known she would one day be in Slytherin. That was what she wanted.

But what if the hat told her she did not belong in Slytherin? How could she face her family, especially Bella, again? She could feel her sister's dark eyes from across the room. Watching her. Waiting.

The whole room seemed to wait.

"Narcissa Black."

Narcissa raised her chin and marched up to the stool, sitting down. She kept her back straight and her face proud. She was afraid, but she would not allow the whole school to see. She was a Black. She was proud of it. Everyone here knew the influence of her family and would not dare cross her.

She had nothing to fear.

_Promise in this one. A kind heart, perhaps. But very proud blood and a proud family._

Nothing to fear. Her pride would not allow fear.

_Yes, it seems you are quite sure. Better be…_

"SLYTHERIN!"

The Slytherin table erupted into cheers. She was their first new student. Narcissa smiled, rising and moving quickly over to the table. She sat down next to Bella who grinned ear to ear, looking almost proud.

"Well done, Cissy." She shrugged. "Not that I ever doubted you. You are a Black."

Narcissa smiled. Nervous or not, she knew this was where she belonged. This was where she _had _to belong.

* * *

The lurching in Sirius' stomach grew when Narcissa was named a Slytherin. The word was music to her ears but would not be for him. In truth, he was far more terrified of being told he belonged in Slytherin than being told he didn't.

To hear Slytherin would mean he was just like his family. And he didn't want that. He hadn't wanted that for a long while. Here at school, he was free of them, and he wanted a different family.

But what if he didn't have a choice? What if, through and through, he was a Black?

"Sirius Black!"

He clenched his jaw and moved up to the stool. He stared straight ahead, trying to focus on nothing as the hat settled on his head.

_A fair bit of mischief in this one. Not much concern for learning, but clever in other ways. And another member of a proud family._

'That doesn't matter,' Sirius thought. 'I'm not like them. I don't want to be with them.'

_So you would abandon their legacy? Risk their disapproval to stay somewhere else?_

'I don't need their approval. I need mine.'

_So you are willing to take that risk?_

Sirius barely had to think about it.

'I am.'

"GRYFFINDOR!"

All of Sirius breath left him in a loud 'whoosh'. A sigh of relief. The word was like a cry of victory in his ears. 'I am not a Black. I am different. I am brave.'

He stood and ran to the Gryffindor table without even glancing at the Slytherins, his smile broad. They clapped him on the back. They laughed with him and shook his hand. He felt welcome.

For the first time in his life, Sirius felt as if he was enough.

* * *

"Lily Evans."

Lily didn't know quite what to think of the strange hat as she approached the stool but she didn't want to ask why it was used or how this system worked. Severus had told her what each of the houses meant. Hufflepuff took the kind and loyal. Ravenclaw took the wise. Gryffindor accepted only the bravest. And those with great ambition and cleverness went to Slytherin.

She didn't know what she was, really. She hadn't thought about placing herself in one group. She supposed she had a bit of each but she could not decide which was most prominent.

Slowly she sat down on the stool, staying very still as the hat was lowered onto her head.

_Yes… very bright, this one. Very intelligent indeed. But kind at heart as well. You could do well in more than one place._

'I'm not afraid," Lily thought, not knowing how true that was. 'Wherever I belong, I will go. I'm not sure myself yet.'

_The unknown… unsettling indeed._

The hat was silent for a long while. Then—

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Cheers erupted from the table and Lily stood, smiling and moving toward the table. She almost forgot about Severus until she began to pass him. A quick glance and she saw he was disappointed. He had wanted her to be in Slytherin. Lily had not thought to ask the hat for that.

It seemed she was braver than she was clever.

One of the boys from the train, Sirius Black, who had made fun of Severus, moved to the side to let Lily sit. But she merely glared at him, turning up her nose and sitting in another empty seat.

She would not be so quick to forget his insults to her friend, even if they were in the same house.

She may have been mostly brave, but she remained fiercely loyal.

It came as a source of relief to her. Despite the hats words, she was not just one thing now. She was still many things. She was still Lily Evans.

* * *

Alice Fortesue was truly nervous for the sorting, having no idea where she properly belonged. Being of pure blood, she knew all about the houses but the very idea of being expected to know where she should be for seven years was flustering. Loyalty, wisdom, bravery and cleverness all seemed like very important things. She did not consider herself very brave or wise or clever. Was she loyal? Perhaps she was. But Hufflepuff was mocked so often…

Alice's name was called, snapping her from her thoughts. She hurried up to the stool, sitting down in a rush. She wanted to get this over with.

_A good friend here. Kind at heart. Fiercely loyal. There is little question._

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

The Hufflepuffs cheered. Alice felt flustered for a moment; she had not been sitting long before the hat had decided. For a moment, she didn't know how to feel. But as she moved over to the Hufflepuff table and saw their genuine smiles and felt their encouraging pats on her back, she couldn't help but smile.

These people now surrounding her were so friendly. And there was nothing wrong with kindness in Alice's mind.

* * *

Remus hadn't realized how close it was getting to his name until Frank Longbottom was sent to Gryffindor into a crowd of cheers. His name rang out next and he stiffened, unable to move for a moment. This was it. The hat would look into his mind and sort him. But what if the hat saw the werewolf and refused? What if he simply sent him back home, deciding he had no place here.

Peter gave him a slight nudge with his hand and Remus forced himself to walk forward and sit upon the stool. The hat settled upon his head.

_Hmm… difficult. Very difficult._

Remus closed his eyes, trying to calm his breathing.

_On one hand such an intelligent boy. But… there's something else._

'A monster,' Remus thought. 'A monster inside of me.'

_Yes there is a fire deep inside of you. Determination. How much bravery it must take for you to even sit here now._

Remus relaxed a little. He wasn't talking about his condition? He didn't even care to mention it?

_You are brave indeed. And you will need brave friends to help you. Better be…_

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Remus burst into a smile. He was sorted. Sorted into a house. He _belonged _here at this school.

Perhaps it was foolish to think but the sorting seemed so final. Now that he had been placed… they couldn't possibly send him away.

He had a home here, despite what he was. He had a future.

* * *

Peter Pettigrew didn't know what he was, but he knew what he wanted to be. He knew he wanted to join the other people he had met on the train. He knew he wanted to keep the friends he had already made.

Perhaps he got nervous a lot, but as he sat upon the stool and felt the hat upon his head and listened to the hat deliberate in his head, he considered that he _could _be brave. He didn't want to be an embarrassment and go to Hufflepuff. And he couldn't change the fact that he was not wise or clever. Those were talents someone had to be born with.

But brave… he could choose to be brave.

_Bravery is always a choice. Indeed…_

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Peter beamed and jumped from his seat, bounding toward the table. It was a choice in the end. His choice. And for now he chose to be brave.

* * *

James Potter was more confident than any of the other students. He strode up to the stool with a fire of determination in his eye and not an ounce of fear in his heart. And he wasn't afraid. Why should he be when he knew exactly where he belonged?

The hat didn't pause long to doubt him. Perhaps it was so overwhelmed by his certainty that it had no choice.

It shouted "GRYFFINDOR" moments after it hit his head and James arose, beaming, and ran to join Sirius at the table.

This was where it all began.

* * *

Severus had hardly paid attention to much of the sorting. He kept on casting glances at Lily. Seeing her smile and laugh with the other Gryffindors. He wanted to be sitting with her. He had so desperately hoped she would be put in Slytherin. She was clever after all. She could have been…

Now they were separated. And Severus couldn't very well join her in Gryffindor. Gryffindor was all about brawn over brain. They didn't think things through. They were far too careless.

They had Lily.

He barely noticed his name being called and when he did he stumbled up to the stool. The snicker of James Potter sounded muffled to his ears as he sat down. Lily watched him, an encouraging smile on her face.

_A clever mind this is. And great ambition. You long for something greater. You have all of your life. And perhaps, with the right encouragement, you will achieve it._

Severus might have smiled if not for the slight doubt that had crept into his heart. A part of him wanted to follow Lily. No matter what house. She was his friend. Maybe he wouldn't like anyone else but… he wouldn't be separate from her.

The hat said nothing, as if waiting for him. In the end, Severus shook his head. No. He belonged in Slytherin. He couldn't…

"SLYTHERIN!"

He exhaled, torn between excitement and disappointment.

In the end, he was not brave enough to follow Lily Evans.

* * *

In the end, fifty-one new students join Hogwarts. Seventeen Gryffindors, eight Hufflepuffs, twelve Ravenclaws and fourteen Slytherins.

James Potter was the quickest to be sorted. The hat rested upon his head only four seconds.

Stella Reed was the slowest. The hat waited on her head for nearly six minutes before it named her to Ravenclaw.

But regardless of time or house, they were each Hogwarts students, welcomed equally by the school.

Only time would tell if such equality could last.

* * *

_**A/N: That's the sorting hat! I don't think Alice was originally in Hufflepuff but I wanted representatives from all houses so I decided to put her there. Other than that, its all canon. REVIEW and tell me what you think!**_


	4. Chapter 4: The First Day

**_A/N: Happy Monday! Here's the next chapter of the Marauders fic covering the first day of classes. As always, I appreciate feedback. Hope you have a lovely week!_  
**

**Chapter 4: The First Day**

_"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,  
Teach us something please," ~Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone_

From the moment Lily had been named to Gryffindor, the rest of the night moved in a blur. The line of amazing delicacies that appeared on the table before them in the blink of an eye. The ghosts who swooped through the holes, passing through people like mist and introducing themselves to all those in their old houses. The great halls of the castle as the prefects led them to their dormitories. Lily kept expecting to wake up in her bed at home and realize all of this magic was just a wonderful dream that could never be. She was even afraid to go to sleep that night for fear of losing this place.

The Gryffindor common room was guarded by a portrait the prefect called 'The Fat Lady'. Lily didn't think that was a particularly kind name but the woman in the painting didn't seem to mind. Lily still jumped a little when she spoke even though she had seen dozens of moving paintings already while walking through the castle.

Once they entered the Gryffindor common room, an inviting space with plush red couches and a roaring fire that lit up the whole area with an inviting glow, the prefects suggested they go straight to bed. On her way to the dormitories, Lily almost smacked into that wretched boy, James Potter again. He grinned at her, eyes full of mischief rather than apologies and she turned away, her nose in the air.

She barely slept that night. She was too jittery for the next day's classes. And when she woke early the next morning, she forced herself to wait for some of the other Gryffindor girls to go to breakfast before she went too. She didn't want to be alone in that huge room with only the ghosts.

She could barely eat anything at breakfast either. She only nibbled on the edges of her toast, bobbing nervously up and down in her seat. Gryffindors had potions today with Ravenclaw. Potions. She had no idea what that might entail. Was it like muggle Chemistry? How much magic did it require? What if she didn't even know the basics well enough and everyone laughed at her.

In her edginess, she barely noticed another boy sit near her but when she finally recognized the presence of someone nearby she whirled to face him, desperate to make some sort of conversation. "Nervous for today?" she squeaked.

The boy started a bit. He had unruly brown hair and looked very tired. Perhaps he hadn't slept well either.

"I… yeah, a bit," he admitted.

"So am I." Lily lowered the pitch of her voice. "I mean, I'm sure it will be fine. But I don't know much magic or spells and I've been reading and trying to learn but I am really very worried." She stopped herself, shaking her head. "I'm sorry, I'm being terribly rude. I'm Lily Evans."

"Remus Lupin," the boy replied with a small smile. "It's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you." Lily took a deep breath to calm down. This boy seemed nice. Not at all like those two other boys. Maybe she had a possible friend in Gryffindor now. She had been worried ever since being split up from Severus. "Do you know much about potions?"

"Some." Remus shrugged. "But you shouldn't worry, you know. Even though a lot of us grew up knowing we were witches and wizards, no one knows much yet."

"Oh, good." Lily relaxed a bit.

The two talked for the remainder of breakfast, mostly about the castle. The portraits, the moving stairs, the seemingly thousands of corridors. It was small talk but it was enough to keep Lily's mind off their nerves.

Soon it was time for their first potions class. The first years moved in a huddle toward the room where Professor Horace Slughorn waited.

He was quite a large man with chubby cheeks and an impressive mustache. He wore a funny hat, but Lily had discovered that a great many people at this school did. He gestured quickly as the students filed nervously into the room.

"Come, come. Don't be shy. We won't be doing anything too horrible yet. No need to be nervous."

_Yet, _thought Lily, but she didn't dare say a word. The more she listened, the more she would learn.

Slughorn began to talk at length about important tools of potions and the purpose of the fine art. He seemed like quite the friendly man and Lily relaxed a bit as he continued to speak. In fact she began to feel eager to learn more about the topics he mentioned. Cures for poisons? Draughts to increase the health or luck of the drinker? It all seemed very fascinating to her.

"Now for our first lesson, I would like you to all pair up. Go on, get into pairs. We are going to try a simple potion: one that cures boils."

Lily looked around, panicking for a moment about who she might partner with. For a moment, she accidentally caught James Potter's eye and he seemed to take a step forward. She spun and grabbed Remus' arm. "Do you want to partner up?"

Remus looked surprised but he nodded. "Er… yeah, sure."

Lily breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn't sure what made her so thoroughly annoyed with the Potter boy. It was more than his insults to Severus. It was his very demeanor. It was everything about him.

With any luck she could avoid talking to him for the remainder of the year—if not all seven of her years at Hogwarts.

* * *

It came as a surprise to James how much the Evans girl seemed to despise him. A few teasing comments to her and her friend? Surely that wasn't worth so much disdain, especially when they were in the same house.

But he wasn't one to let such things get him down. He scanned the room for another partner and noticed a nervous boy, very small for his age, twiddling his thumbs as everyone else partnered up. James shrugged and wandered over to him. "Hey there. Want to work together?"

The boy jumped. "Me?" he seemed to squeak. "Really, you want to work with me?"

"Why wouldn't I?" James sat down next to him. "You haven't given me a reason to hate you yet." He grinned just to make sure the boy knew he was joking. "What's your name?"

"Peter."

"I'm James."

Peter nodded once, smiling shyly. "Thanks I… I didn't know who else to pair with. I-I'm not always good at making friends with new people."

James had noticed. In fact he was kind of surprised Peter had ended up in Gryffindor at all. But he didn't say so. "Well, that's because Gryffindors are lions." James shrugged. "You're so ferocious you scare everyone away."

Peter giggled and James smiled as well. Good. He got the kid to loosen up a bit. A little more of this and maybe he would make a worthy Gryffindor.

Perhaps even a friend.

* * *

_Someone smart, _Sirius thought. _I should pair with someone smart._

His own strengths never lay with reading. Or any work in particular. He had the attention span of a squirrel and couldn't be bothered to learn much from words. But if he wanted to stay at this school, he should at least appear to be doing well.

He slid over near a Ravenclaw, recognizing her as one of the girls he had met on the train. "Hey," he said. "Stella Reed, right?"

"Right," she eyed him suspiciously. "And you're Sirius Black."

"Just Sirius. Not a fan of my family name," he rubbed a hand behind his head. "So, you any good at potions?"

"Haven't tried it yet." Stella said, looking down at the cauldron. "I might be." She looked up at him. "Are you asking out of curiosity or because you want to partner with someone who knows what they're doing?"

"Let's go with both. Wanna be partners?"

Stella sighed. "Well, you're the only one I know who hasn't found a partner. So I guess."

"Excellent." Sirius sat down next to her and leaned over to read her book. "Great. Okay… where do we start?"

"You can start by getting the materials," Stella said. "Then we'll worry about the potion."

"I can get things. That is definitely something I can do." Sirius marched off, actually half glad to look productive. Besides if he didn't try to help, Stella might tell the professor he was mooching off her work. She seemed like the type to do that.

Well, he sort of _was _mooching, but still.

Once they had the materials out in front of them, Stella went to work. She read the instructions so quickly that Sirius thought her eyes might fall out of her head and roll across the desk. Her hands moved quickly as she grabbed the objects and quickly set to work chopping up dried nettles.

"Wow, you do get this." Sirius stared at her. "Have you… done potions work before?"

"No." Stella shook her head, never taking her eyes off her work. "Just chemistry."

"What's chemistry?"

"Its like potions. But with chemical reactions instead of magic." She held out her hand. "Mortar and pestle please."

"Which one is that?"

"The bowl with the little thing inside of it that's used for crushing." She stared at him. "You're from a wizarding family aren't you? Don't you know any of this?"

"Just because I'm a wizard doesn't mean I'm a smart one." Sirius grinned but his cheeks heated. Her stare made him feel inferior. And he was already well used to that in his family. Maybe finding a smart person wasn't the best idea.

Stella studied him for a moment before she exhaled and handed him the mortar and pestle. "Here. Use this to crush the snake fangs. It says to make them into a fine powder." She looked back to the book. "Not everything in potions takes smarts."

Her lip twitched and it took Sirius a moment to see that she meant the comment as a joke. He grinned. "I can crush things too."

By the end of the class they had created a stellar potion. Slughorn applauded them and Sirius felt a bit of pride swell up in his chest, even if he hadn't done a lot of the work. If he could keep partnering up with Stella, he could stay ahead.

She would be a handy person to make friends with at school.

* * *

The Defense against the Dark Arts professor had left the classroom for the moment. And that made Alice worried.

Alice Fortesue had a few reasons for being worried of course. For one thing it was the first class of her Hogwarts career and nervousness seemed only natural. But even worse, the had class with the Slytherins. Alice heard nothing but bad things about Slytherins. About how they were conniving and often went bad and hated muggle borns and Hufflepuffs and anyone they thought of as lesser.

Rumors weren't always true but they did seem like a rather unpleasant bunch as they filed into the room together. One of them tripped a young Hufflepuff boy and muttered something under his breath. Alice didn't hear what they said but she doubted it was kind. She bristled slightly but kept quiet for the moment.

Now the professor was out of the room. And the Slytherin first year seemed to think it was time for him to keep up his high and mighty attitude. Establish his superiority early, Alice thought. Her eyes narrowed as the boy stood.

"Hufflepuff has picked up its fair share of scum this year, haven't they?" he asked. "I mean, Hufflepuff has always taken the rejects from all the other houses. But this year? A lot of dirty blood. Are any of you actually pure bloods?"

_I am, _thought Alice, but she didn't speak. None of the Hufflepuffs did. No one wanted to escalate the situation.

"Don't you idiots speak? Or are you too stupid?" A Slytherin girl sneered.

"Too stupid for Ravenclaw. Not enough guts for Gryffindor." The Slytherin boy jabbed the boy he tripped earlier in the chest with his finger. He stumbled back, keeping his head down. "And not pure enough for Slytherin, am I right, mudblood?"

"Stop," the boy mumbled under his breath.

"What was that?" the boy's eyes narrowed. "Did you say something _mudblood_?" He pushed him again, this time hard enough to make him fall down. "Did you?"

"Yes!" a voice said. "He said stop. And if you were kind of decent human being, you would."

Everyone turned to look at Alice. And it was only then that she realized she had spoken. She had said what she had thought in her head, almost by accident. And now she had the Slytherin's attention.

"What, you have something to say too?" the boy asked. "Another lousy mudblood."

Alice's palms were sweaty as the boy took a step forward. But she clenched her jaw. If she backed down then he would just keep picking on the other Hufflepuffs. She couldn't let that happen. They were, after all, like her new family. "I'm a pureblood, just like you," she said, holding her ground. "No. Not just like you. I'm much better than someone like you. Everyone in our house is." She took a step forward. "Muggleborns and purebloods alike in Hufflepuff are better than a horrid boy like you."

The boy laughed and some of his Slytherin friends joined him. Not all of them seem keen on the situation. A boy with black hair kept tapping his fingers on the desk, looking uncomfortable and a blonde girl was looking away. Another small group of Slytherins in the back also pretended like nothing was wrong. "Oh really? You're better than us? What great thing has a Hufflepuff ever done?"

"What great thing have you ever done?" Alice retorted. "You're eleven like the rest of us."

The boy paused for a moment, looking surprised, before he continued. "I'm destined for greatness."

"You don't seem like it," Alice said flatly.

Now a few of the Hufflepuffs giggled but quietly and behind their hands.

The boy flushed and opened his mouth to say something else but Alice continued on, fueled by some unknown fire in her chest. "If you were destined for anything great, you wouldn't pick on other people to make yourself seem better. It just makes you worse. And if you keep on picking on my house, you'll regret it. I won't let you."

"You won't let me, huh?" the boy sneered. "What can you do?"

"Keep being rude and you'll find out." Alice said tightly in a much more confident voice than suited her shaking hands. Hopefully they boy couldn't see though. Hopefully he didn't call her bluff.

He might have, but the professor reentered the room at that moment. "What's all this?" he asked. He noticed the boy on the ground. "What happened here?"

"They shoved me over, sir," the Hufflepuff boy squeaked. "They called us mean names."

"Twenty points from Slytherin. There will be no fighting in this class. Not unless it's part of the curriculum," the professor demanded. "Now sit down!"

The Slytherins did but the boy eyed Alice angrily as he did. Even if standing up for the other Hufflepuffs had been noble… she had a feeling she had just gained a few enemies in Slytherin. And that couldn't end well.

* * *

_**A/N: Hope you enjoyed! Almost half way through year one. Just one more chapter. As always, REVIEW and tell me what you think. Have a good week!**_


	5. Chapter 5: Rumors and Rules

**_A/N: In this chapter, tensions grow between Bellatrix and Sirius, Alice deals with rumors going around school, Lily reassures Severus of their friendship and James and Peter sneak out of their dorms for the first time. Enjoy!_  
**

**Chapter 5: Rumors and Rules**

_"'You'll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there.'  
He held out his hand to shake Harry's, but Harry didn't take it.  
'I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks,' he said coolly." **  
**~Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone_

Narcissa had hoped to escape some of the vehement hatred around her own household when she came to school. She thought that maybe children her age wouldn't be so angry about muggleborns and Hufflepuffs and the like. In fact, many Slytherins weren't. They stayed quiet and studied and gave no inclination of hating anyone.

But he ones who did, the ones eager to spit out the words of their parents, were loud and proud. And the older students especially seemed eager to guide the younger along their path.

Narcissa found friendship with some quieter Slytherins in her year. Like Severus Snape, a half blood boy who had a knack for potions. He was more interested in classes than getting into arguments. But Narcissa found herself missing her friends on the train too. Particularly Stella.

Bellatrix would be furious if she ever caught wind of Stella's blood status. But Narcissa hoped that she wouldn't care enough to investigate. She was older. What should she care about first years?

Narcissa found Stella in the library. Her cousin, Sirius, sat across from her, bouncing in his seat a bit with characteristic restlessness.

"Just help me through them. You don't have to give me the answers or anything," he was saying.

"But that's what you want." Stella looked up at him. "You think you can eventually weasel the answer out of me. But it won't work."

Sirius sighed dramatically and flopped against the table. He turned his head to the side and spotted Narcissa. "See how cruel she is ,Narcissa?"

"Cruel?" Narcissa asked. "I think she just wants you to do work for yourself."

"Of course, you _would _take her side." Sirius crossed his arms. "I'm fine with spells but I'm so bad with the written work. I'm not a fast writer." He huffed. "And the letters get mixed up sometimes."

"I know its hard, but you should still try yourself." Stella closed her book. "When the first grades come back, if you've done poorly, then maybe I'll help. But you might not be as bad as you think."

"I'm pretty sure I'm worse," Sirius said. He glanced at Narcissa. "How are you doing in class?"

"Alright." Narcissa shrugged. "People are… nice to me." That wasn't a lie. Everyone was nice to Narcissa, partially because of her family name and partially because of her intimidating older sister. "I like charms. You?"

"I don't really like any of my classes yet. But Defense Against the Dark Arts is fun. Hey," Sirius leaned forward. "Is it true what Alice Fortesue did the other day? Told off a Slytherin boy in Defense Against the Dark Arts. It's going all around the school."

"Its true," Narcissa said quietly, running a hand through her hair. That was possibly one of the tensest classes she had ever had. And it was her first one.

"Awesome. Remind me to give her a pat on the back later," Sirius grinned.

"A few weeks in Gryffindor and you've already started siding with muggleborns and Hufflepuffs?" a familiar voice called. Narcissa scrunched down in her seat a bit and Sirius bristled as Bellatrix came around the corner. "You're already the family disappointment. You don't need to help yourself along."

"Maybe I just want to distance myself from the family as much as possible, Bella." Sirius sneered.

"You're a bit dim that way. Most wizards would kill to be part of our family." Bellatrix grinned, cocking her head to the side a bit. "But you're the strange one, aren't you?"

"The only one I'd ever call strange is you," Sirius said, standing. "You've always been odd. Or psychotic is more like it."

"Don't talk to her like that." Narcissa circled around the table to stand between them. Bellatrix was being mean but she was still her sister. Sirius wasn't allowed to call her names. "Come on, let's not fight."

"Psychotic, huh?" Bellatrix smirked. "At least my family _wants _me. Your family? Good luck going back to them after this year. I'll bet they'll throw you out on the streets because _no one _will ever want you."

Sirius started to go for his wand but at that moment Stella slammed her book shut so hard the sound echoed across the room.

"We're in a library," she said calmly, looking up at them. "This isn't the time or place. Unless you want the librarian to come over here."

"And who are you?" Bellatrix sneered.

_Oh no, _thought Narcissa. _She'll find out about her blood status. And then…_

"Stella Reed," Stella answered without missing a beat.

"I don't know that name," Bellatrix said.

"It's my father's name. I'm a half blood," Stella said. Narcissa blinked. She knew it was a lie but… it was a good one.

"Then do you know who I am, halfblood?" Bellatrix asked.

"I do," Stella said. "But I don't really care. I'm trying to study. Do I need get the librarian?"

Bellatrix studied her for a long time and Stella held her gaze. Finally, with a huff, Bellatrix turned to go. "I don't have time for this." She glanced at Narcissa. "Don't stay too long with this filth Cissy."

"Right." Narcissa murmured, heat rising to her face.

When Bellatrix had gone, Sirius turned to Stella. "Bloody hell, how did you do that?"

"Do what?" Stella asked.

"Stand up to Bella like that. And you didn't even look scared." Sirius said.

"Didn't I?" Stella looked down at her hands. Narcissa saw them shaking like crazy for the first time. "Because I was." She looked up at Narcissa. "I… don't think I like your sister very much."

Narcissa tugged on a blonde curl. "She can be… hard to get along with." She sighed. "So… why did you lie?"

"Your sister wouldn't want you to be hanging around my kind, would she?" Stella went back to her book. "I figured it was for the best."

"Thank you," Narcissa said. "But I think she still hates you now."

Stella just shrugged. Then she was back to reading.

She really was a strange girl. The kind that took time to get to know. If Narcissa had her way, she would stay friends with Stella.

But when it came to Bellatrix, Narcissa so very rarely got her way.

* * *

Alice had received more than one stare since the incident in class. And more than one jeer from the Slytherin first years. It made her quite self-conscious. She never liked to have the spotlight and that hadn't been her intention when she stood up to the boy. And yet she suddenly had this attention. And not the good kind.

One day, after a particularly biting insult from one boy, Alice left the great hall in near tears. She stopped when she heard her name.

"Hey, Alice!"

She turned to see one of the boys from the train running up to her. Frank Longbottom. Yes that was his name.

"What do you want?" she mumbled, wiping away her tears quickly.

"I just want to let you know… everyone in Gryffindor thinks you did a good thing. Everyone has been talking about how amazing you were," he said.

"It doesn't feel amazing." Alice said, crossing her arms over her chest. "I didn't want this attention."

"I know," Frank replied. "But it's for a good thing. Don't let those nutters tell you otherwise. And I think you're great." He clapped her on the shoulder.

Alice smiled a little. "Thank you… I just wish… someone else stronger had done it instead."

"That's the thing, Alice." Frank said. "You're the one who did it. So that makes you the strong one." He nodded toward the Great Hall. "Want to finish eating?"

She nodded. "Yes… yes I think I would."

* * *

Severus was out on the courtyard when Lily found him. He almost didn't expect to see her. Since she was sorted into Gryffindor and h was sorted to Slytherin, friendship seemed suddenly impossible. But there she stood, a breathless smile on her face.

"I'm sorry we haven't talked since class began. I've just been so busy trying to learn everything. It was all so new." She brushed her red hair from her face. "But I missed you."

"You did?" Severus blinked, looking up at her. "Really?"

"Of course, silly. You're my friend." She dropped down beside him. "I'm sorry we're not in the same house but… that doesn't mean we can't still be friends."

"Of course it doesn't," Severus said quickly. "I just thought… maybe with your new friends…"

"That I'd stop wanting to be friends with you?" Lily shook her head. "Oh, Sev, why would you think that?"

Severus just shrugged.

"Well don't think that again. Never think it." Lily pulled out her books. "Want to study potions? I hear you're good at it."

Severus' face lit up. "Yeah, I am. There was this one potion…"

In only a minute, his day—no his year—had gotten so much better. He really had thought he would lose Lily. But he hadn't. She was still here.

That made Hogwarts seem a little brighter.

* * *

"Its against the rules!" Peter squeaked. "Its dangerous."

"What's so dangerous about a bunch of empty halls anyway?" James replied. "Besides Peter, rules are _meant _to be broken—as long as you don't get caught."

"But we will get caught."

"Only if you keep running your trap."

It had taken James ages to convince Peter to sneak out of the dormitories with him that night. And now that they finally were, the nervous boy was having second thoughts. Honestly, he probably wasn't the best to have as an assistant rule breaker. For Gryffindor, he sure was jumpy. But, though James didn't want to admit it, he wanted company for her first round of the empty corridors of Hogwarts. Who knew what kind of secrets this place held? They could be dangerous, and James wanted someone else with him if that was true. They didn't know that many spells yet, after all.

"Sorry," Peter whispered. "Sorry I've just… I've never done this sort of thing before."

"Not to worry, Peter." James clapped him on the back. "I am the _master _of this sort of thing."

Sneaking out of the common room was easy. Once out in the halls, Peter became a lot more nervous. James tried to distract him with jokes, which mostly worked. But it still took quite a bit of time before Peter actually settled.

The corridors had a mysterious feel to them. James knew there had to be loads of secret passages and exciting dangers in this place. He planned on finding them all before he left this place. He didn't care how many detentions he had to suffer through to find them.

"See Peter? No one to catch us out here," James said. "This castle is so big. And Filch can't be everywhere at once. We'll be fine."

"Ooooh," a voice came from down the hall at that moment and Peter almost fell over from fright. "Icky students out of bed. Got ideas inside their heads. Caught ya, caught ya at your game. I'm the best a Peeve's the name." A ghost materialized from the shadows, cackling.

It wasn't a very good rhyme in James' opinion. He crossed his arms. "So, you work for Filch?"

"Filchy, Filchy? Nooo," Peeves shook his head. "No love for Filchy."

"Then you shouldn't turn us in," Peter squeaked.

"No love for you either," Peeves pointed out.

"Yeah, but we're new and we want to cause trouble to annoy Filch," James puffed out his chest. "So we have a common enemy, you know? So let us go. What do you say?"

"I say…" Peeves grinned wickedly. "Let's see how fast you can run." Then he let out a loud wail. "STUDENTS OUT OF BED!"

"Oh no," Peter moaned.

James cursed and grabbed Peter's wrist. "Let's get out of here."

They took off down the hall as fast as they could. At every opportunity, James took a sharp turn. He had no idea where they were going but it was something. As long as they got away from Filch he didn't care.

He didn't expect, of course, to smack into someone else.

"Bloody hell!"

There was a series of curses as James, Peter and the third mysterious boy tumbled to the ground. James rolled over and looked up to see Sirius Black pushing himself to his knees.

"Why is it we always meet by running into each other?" the boy muttered, shaking his head.

"No idea. That was my fault." James grinned. "You snuck out too?"

"Of course. Wanted to explore the castle." Sirius stood to his feet. "And you, you're Peter right?"

Peter nodded.

"Glad to know we have similar interests," James hopped up holding out his hand. "It means that next time we can join forces."

"Next time?" Peter's voice jumped a few octaves.

"Sure thing." Sirius shook James' hand. "Partners in crime?"

"Partners." James said.

They might have sat there, basking in the glow of their new affiliation. But then they heard the 'meow' of Mrs. Norris and they took off down the hall once again. They didn't stop laughing until long after they reached the Gryffindor common room again.

This was the beginning of something great.

* * *

_**A/N: Just more establishing of relationships and tensions. That's what the first ten chapters mostly focuses on. The first year and becoming friends. We're halfway through the first year now! Hooray!**_

_**As always I appreciate feedback and favorites and alerts. Hope you have a good week!**_


	6. Chapter 6: Loneliness and Sweets

_**A/N: This is a mostly Remus-centric chapter with a little mischief between the other three marauders in the middle. The marauders haven't fully formed yet but they will in time :) Lily is also in this chapter. Nothing from Alice, Frank, Severus, Narcissa or Stella this week but they'll probably make an appearance next chapter. Enjoy!**_

**Chapter 6: Loneliness and Sweets**

_"Always the innocent are the first victims, so it has been for ages past, so it is now."  
~ Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone_

Dumbledore had done more for Remus than he had ever dreamed was possible. All through the summer before Remus came to Hogwarts, Dumbledore insisted that he would make preparations to ease his transformations. He didn't give details exactly, which perhaps was the reason for Remus' anxiety in these past several months. But, sure enough, soon after his arrival at school, Dumbledore had called him to his office.

There he had explained to him the Whomping Willow, a huge tree with violent tendencies planted on the grounds. The tree had been placed over a secret passageway which could be accessed only if someone hit a specific knot on the tree. The passageway led to the Shrieking shack, an old place that everyone thought to be haunted, which Dumbledore assured him was rubbish.

"It might not be true," Dumbledore had said. "But if you undergo your transformations there, no one will think anything odd about any strange noises."

Remus was to be escorted by Madam Pomphrey each night before a full moon. After he underwent a transformation, he was meant to return to the castle and go straight to the hospital wing.

It was a plan at least, which eased Remus' fears. In an unfamiliar place, he wasn't sure how he would cope with his lycanthrope. He was able to breathe a little easier and walk a bit more surely with this knowledge.

But nothing could really make him feel better when the day of his first transformation came.

There was always pain before. Horrible pain ripping at every nerve of his body. The tips of his fingers as they grew and sprouted claws. His legs as they lengthened and stretched beyond what they should. His back as his spine curved at an awkward angle. And his face as his maw stretched forward and filled with razor sharp teeth. Agony followed by blackness. A blur of nightmarish images that he could never understand. That first night in the shrieking shack most of those images involved running into walls and splintered wood work.

The plan worked. Remus was left alone and unable to hurt anyone but himself. His howls blended right in with the rumors of vicious ghouls lurking about the shack. And his blurry memories were free of any bloodshed.

And yet when he came too, Remus didn't feel reassured by the success of the plan. No… he felt more than ever like a monster.

He started to hide away from his fellow students over that next month. He spent most of his time in his dorm when others were out and about. He tried to go to meals in the Great Hall when it was least crowded. He kept his conversations with classmates short. If he talked to anyone for too long… they might notice how haggard he looked. Then they might ask questions and one way or another they could discover what Remus was. He had always been a terrible liar. It wouldn't be so hard to figure out.

To distract himself he immersed his attention in his studies. Books, at the very least, were comforting. And they couldn't discover his secrets. Or maybe they could but they didn't care. Either way, Remus felt much safer in the company of paper and ink.

Unfortunately, that meant he couldn't avoid one classmate of his in particular. Lily. Not only did she always insist on being his potions partner but she also loved books as much as he did so she was often in the library. Whenever she saw him she made an effort to say hello. Ask him how he was doing.

He didn't hate her or anything. Quite the opposite. He felt happier every time she smiled at him. She was the kind of thoughtful girl that people liked instinctively. But that was the problem. Here Remus was, trying to distance himself from everyone around him so that no one got hurt and she kept on messing him up.

And she wasn't the only one. Frank Longbottom often said hi to him and invited him to sit with him at the table. And there was Peter who he had also sat with on the train. After his first transformation, Peter asked if he was okay and Remus had simply run away. And yet even after that, the boy smiled at him when he caught his eye.

The problem was, he _wanted _to be friends with them. He wanted to have friends in general. But it would be better if he didn't? What if he messed up? What if they got hurt?

These thoughts turned ceaselessly in his head the day of the second full moon. Sunset was a long way off but Remus couldn't stop fidgeting as he tried to do the reading for History of Magic. Sure enough, Lily found him sitting there and she smiled brightly as she always did. "Hello Remus."

"Hi," he mumbled.

"What are you doing?" she sat down across from him. "History of Magic? Oh, yes I haven't done that reading yet. I should." She fumbled through her bag. "And how are you doing today, Remus."

"Fine," he replied, perhaps a little to quickly.

Lily eyed him, one of her eyebrows arching. "Fine? Are you sure?"

Remus flushed and looked down at the book. _Calm down, Remus. She doesn't know. There's no need to panic. She's just being friendly._

"You don't look so good," Lily said, leaning forward.

"I'm fine. Don't worry," Remus said.

Lily sighed. "If you say so." She reached out a hand and touched Remus' arm. He jumped a little. "But if you need to talk about anything… I'm here, Remus."

_No, not anything, _Remus thought. He stood. "I'm sorry. I have to go. I feel a bit sick." Then he turned and shuffled off.

No, he couldn't tell Lily Evans anything. That was why they couldn't be friends. Because friends didn't keep secrets, and he had to carry this one for the rest of his life.

* * *

Through the bore of classes, James looked forward to his runs around the castle at night more than anything. Sometimes his classes were interesting. Defense Against the Dark Arts, for instance, never failed to capture his interest. But classes like Potions, Muggle Studies and, worst of all, History of Magic with Professor Binns… they made him restless with disinterest.

So after a long day of double potions and History of Magic, James couldn't be happier when Sirius found him at dinner with good news.

"I think I've found a secret passage," Sirius said in a hushed voice.

"You have?" James' eyes widened. "Where?"

"It's a secret. Don't want anyone else hearing our plans," Sirius glanced around, a conspiratory smile on his face. "But I'll show you tonight. Bring Peter if you're sure he won't lose his dinner like last time."

The boys had snuck out several times by now. Last time they had come so close to being caught by Filch. They had sprinted down the hall and hid in a broom cupboard. But all the excitement apparently didn't agree with Peter's stomach so he lost his contents on the floor. James really didn't know how Peter had ended up in Gryffindor. Or why he kept coming out with Sirius and James. But he had to give the kid credit for trying. And anyway, he had a soft spot for him.

"He won't," James said. "He'll get better at this. He's just not used to breaking the rules like you and I."

"If you say so." Sirius said. "See you tonight."

"You bet." James grinned. Class could be hard. But the castle at night? It could always be counted upon for excitement.

* * *

The mysterious passageway, it turned out, was behind the statue of the one eyed witch. When James inquired as to where it might lead, Sirius swore he had not yet explored the passage. He had decided to wait for proper reinforcements.

Though James teased him about being too scared to go alone, he could understand why. The castle, while full of mysteries, felt largely safe to James. Venturing outside the grounds could be dangerous. But they were Gryffindors after all, and they agreed that they were brave enough to undertake such a journey.

Well, James and Sirius agreed. Peter made a sound somewhere between a cough and a whimper which the other two boys took as assent.

They hurried down the passage, trying not to imagine the spiders, rats, and other creepy crawlies that must be wandering the dark with them. They walked for a long while. The passage _had _to lead off of school grounds.

At last, Peter bumped his head on a dead end in front of them.

"Ow!"

"What happened?"

"It's a dead end."

"Are you sure?"

"Well I just bumped it with my head!"

"Great, a dead end. And here I thought it would be something good." James crossed his arms. "Nice passageway Sirius."

"No, look!" Sirius pointed up. "It's a trap door!"

"So it is," James said.

They managed to get the old thing open and clambered up into what looked like a cellar of some kind. The lights were dim and they couldn't see well but something smelled quite delicious.

"Must be a light here somewhere."

"Ow. That was my foot!"

"Sorry, Sirius."

"Maybe this is a bad idea. It could be someone's home."

"Don't be a scardy cat, Peter."

"Found one!"

Sirius lit a lantern with a match, providing some light in the cellar. That's when they saw it.

Sweets.

Sweets of every sort lined the shelves, crammed into little glass jars or large crates. James stared. Sirius cursed. Peter's jaw hung askew.

"Nice passageway Sirius," James said, this time without a touch of sarcasm.

"You bet it is." Sirius grinned.

They descended upon the candy, grabbing fistfulls of anything that looked good. They crammed much of into their bags but left some of it out for eating before they returned. It was with great gusto that they sat in a circle on the floor of the cellar, eating some of their plunder, congratulating themselves on such a fine discovery.

"This must be in Hogsmede," Sirius said. "It's not far from Hogwarts. There's a sweet shop in Hogsmede."

"Honeydukes," James recalled. "My father told me about it."

"Really? Well," Sirius raised a lollipop that kept changing colors. "To Honeydukes and their generous donation."

Peter thought a few times about protesting against the stealing. But the sweetness of the candy dissuaded him otherwise.

The boys talked quite jovially until late in the night, not long before they would have to wake for classes. Then they took their plunder back through the passageway. Tomorrow they would surprise their house mates with their plunder. But they would keep most of it.

"Are we going to keep at this?" Peter asked. "This breaking the rules thing?"

"Peter, my friend," James clapped the boy on the back. "We hope to have a long career of mischief ahead of us."

"Here, here," Sirius said.

And a long career of mischief they would surely have.

* * *

Remus jerked awake from a fitful sleep in the hospital wing. He never slept well right after he turned. His body still ached when he moved but it was better than that morning when he had barely been able to move. It was a downside of transforming indoors. He usually did as much damage to his body as he did to the house he was caged in.

He rubbed a hand over his face and exhaled. Another transformation. The second of many more to come at Hogwarts.

"You're awake," a voice said. And not Madame Pomphrey.

Remus jumped, accidentally banging his head against the headboard of the bed. He clutched his skull with a groan.

"Oops." Lily Evans clapped a hand over her mouth, giggling a bit. "Did I startle you? I'm sorry."

"What… what are you doing here?" Remus asked. His heart clenched. She had found out. She knew what he was. He was doomed.

"I heard you were very sick so you didn't come to class this morning." Lily reached out, setting something on the desk. A vase holding a lovely flower. A lily. "I thought I might check on you. Since we are friends."

"Friends?" Remus repeated.

"Of course, silly." Lily stood. "So you should get better soon because I miss my partner in potions and I _don't _want to have to work with that dreadful James Potter."

Remus managed a small smile. "Right." He looked at the time. "Don't you have class?"

"Oh! That's right. Herbology is today." Lily slung her book bag over her shoulder. "I'll see you soon Remus. Get better!" With that she scampered from the hospital wing.

Remus relaxed back against his pillow. She didn't know what he was. And even better than that… she called him a friend.

He was a monster perhaps, but he had a friend. And that made the future seem not so hopeless.

* * *

_**A/N: Hope you enjoyed! I like writing Remus. He's such a sad character with a sweet heart. All of these characters as kids are adorable. Hope you liked it. REVIEW!**_


	7. Chapter 7: Stolen Brooms, Moving Stairs

**_A/N: Sorry I've been gone for two weeks. Just wasn't feeling this fic and was having trouble writing this chapter. I'm updating now but unfortunately I'll also be putting this fic on hiatus for November and possibly December due to NaNoWriMo. It will be returning in the New Year at the very latest._  
**

**_This chapter focuses a lot on two characters, James and Narcissa. Other characters will be getting starring moments in the next few chapters including Sirius, Alice, Severus, Lily and Stella. As always thanks for reading and REVIEW!_**

**Chapter 7: Stolen Brooms and Moving Stairs**

_"'But I've never even played quidditch before. What if I make a fool out of myself?'_

_'You won't make a fool out of yourself. Its in your blood'" ~Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone_

The Quidditch games were always the highlight of Hogwarts through the dirge of homework and classes. The morning of the games, the school was alight with energy. The two houses competing sported their house colors with pride, and the other two houses chose sides and placed bets. It was late autumn and though the air had turned bitterly cold, nothing could dampen the spirit of the Gryffindors or the Slytherins in the stands. This was arguably the biggest game of the year, given the rivalry between the two houses. Unless Gryffindor and Slytherin met each other again in the final game. Then the tension between the houses would be palpable and possibly dangerous.

James adored watching Quidditch, of course, but he wanted desperately to play as well. He wanted to be on a broom, high above the ground, weaving in and out of other players. Since he was little he dreamed about being a famous seeker. He had, after all, named his owl Roderick after one of his heroes. But first years weren't allowed to try out for the team.

"It's a stupid rule," James complained loudly to Sirius who was leaning far over the railing to watch the players dart back and forth. "Why should it matter what my age is? If I'm good enough, I should be allowed to play!"

"If you're good enough, sure," Sirius said. "But if you're not good enough you might get caught in the face by a bludger." As he said this a bludger crashed into a Gryffindor player's broom, sending him spinning toward the ground. "Ooh… he's going to feel that for weeks." Sirius glanced at James. "Anyway, what's the rush?"

"I want to play _now _that's what the rush is," James said. "I've ridden a broom before. Plenty of times! I think they should make some sort of exception." He slumped against the railing. "And anyway, first years aren't even allowed to have brooms so I can't even practice."

"Guess not. I don't mind waiting though," Sirius shrugged. "I'm not as good at quidditch. My brother Regulus is though."

"You have a brother?" James raised an eyebrow. "You haven't mentioned him."

"Haven't mentioned perfect little Regulus, huh?" Sirius sighed. "He's the golden child of the family. One year younger than me. But he's good on a broom. I think mum and dad think he's better at everything than me."

"Well, they're nutters," James declared. "At least _you're _in Gryffindor."

"Yeah," Sirius said with a small grin.

A cheer rose up among the Slytherins and a groan from the Gryffindors. The Slytherin seeker had caught the snitch. James groaned along with his fellow housemates.

"If I was the seeker, I would always catch the snitch," he declared as they wandered away from the quidditch pitch.

"Sure you would, James," Sirius said, clapping him on the back.

* * *

James didn't consider this stealing. He planned on putting the broom back when he was done, and they were just sitting in the closet of the Gryffindor locker room anyhow. The Gryffindor's had left to mope about their loss (which in James' opinion, never would have happened if he was playing) and James found the room empty. When he saw the spare brooms in the cupboard, well, he couldn't resist.

_Just a spin, _James told himself. _Just a spin around the grounds and then I'll put it back. It'll be like it never happened._

And it would be quite a story to tell to Sirius and Peter later.

Anticipation coiled in James' gut as he situated himself on the broom. Then he nudged the ground gently with his feet, kicking off. In an instant he surged into the air and he fought to keep a 'whoop' of joy inside his throat. There was such freedom to riding a broom, an exhileration that overcame James when he breathed in the fresh air, high away from the ground. Once he had steadied himself and was sure no one was watching, he let himself dip into a dive toward the ground.

Only feet from impact, he then swerved up, shooting low across the frosted grass. Some students passing by let out gasps and pointed but James let them. It's not like they could see his face from this distance anyway. He shot back up in the air, hovering high above the grounds, scanning for familiar faces.

He didn't see any Gryffindors he was friends with but he did see a familiar Slytherin boy. Snape was his name, wasn't it? James couldn't remember his first name. Snivelus or something like that? He was a snooty boy, certainly not the kind James would ever associate with. From the moment he laid eyes on the greasy Slytherin, he hadn't liked him. James always knew very quickly whether or not he liked a person.

A mischievous thought popped into James' mind, as they often did. With a grin he took another dive toward the ground, streaking right toward the boy.

"Watch out Snivelus!" He caught the edge of his robe, holding on long enough to throw the kid way off balance. He went sprawling, his books flying everywhere.

"Severus!" a girl's voice called from nearby. Right, that was his name. James turned to see the red headed girl, Lily Evans, running toward the boy. She glared up at James as she helped gather up the fallen books.

"You're a horrid little worm, James Potter. Absolutely horrid!"

Great, she had seen him. Not that it would make a difference. James could always lie about what happened if she chose to tell on him.

He circled twice more around the courtyard before landing safely back on the ground, giggling like mad. He turned, intending to return the broom to where he found it—but then found himself face to face with Professor McGonagal.

"Mr. Potter," she said tersely. "Follow me."

_Great, _James thought. _Now I'm done for._

* * *

James tried to make himself look as sheepish as possible before McGonagal. She was a fierce woman with a gaze that could cut through steel. And her anger only made her glare more potent.

"You know why there is a rule against first years flying, Mr. Potter?"

"I was fine, professor. I didn't do anything too dangerous. I—"

"That was not my question." She said, her voice like ice.

James ducked his head. "Yes," he mumbled. _Look as sorry as possible. Then maybe she won't punish you as badly. _He did hope he wouldn't get expelled for this. For such a stupid reason. Surely this wasn't worth an expulsion.

"I understand you enjoy flying," McGonagall said. "And that perhaps your parents would allow you to go off alone on a broom whenever you wished. "But here at Hogwarts, we are responsible for your safety. There are liabilities."

"I know professor. I'm sorry. It won't happen again," James said quickly. If he thought he could do it without getting caught he might try but there were eyes all over the castle grounds. No way could he get away with it.

"See that it doesn't," McGonagall said. "I'm letting you off easy this time. Twenty points will be taken from Gryiffindor. And you will serve detention with me later this week. If you break this rule again, I will take more points. Is that clear?"

James nodded, his shoulders straightening. Twenty points was a lot to lose for the beginning of the year, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been. "Yes professor. Clear, professor."

"Good. You are dismissed," McGonagal said. James hurried toward the door but her voice stopped him. "And Mr. Potter?"

James glanced over his shoulder.

"Consider trying out for the Gryffindor team next year," McGonagal said with the smallest of smiles on her severe face. "They could use a player like you on the team."

James beamed. "Of course, professor." Then he scampered from the office and down the hall. He had gotten in trouble, sure, but it had been worth it.

In James' experience he found trouble often had many rewards.

* * *

Nearly halfway through the year and Narcissa was still having trouble with the stair cases. She often lost herself in thought and when she did she found herself on the opposite end of the castle, far from where she wanted to be. She had been late to more than one of her classes this way, and earned her fair share of teasing comments from Bellatrix. Bella meant well of course. She was never _mean _to Narcissa like she often was to other students. But she did love to tease.

Narcissa had adjusted to that. But she was still lost on an unfamiliar floor, unsure of which staircase would take her to where she wanted to go.

She stood nervously on the platform, tugging at her sleeve. At least she wasn't on her way to class. She hated being late and the professors always deducted points from Slytherin when she stumbled in in the middle of their lectures. Walking into the common room late would only earn a few teasing remarks from Bellatrix. But first she had to find her way. She looked around in hopes that the answer might pop out at her.

"Are you lost?"

Narcissa whirled around with a small squeak. An older boy stood behind her, tall with blonde hair hanging to his shoulders. He looked a little older than Bella with strong features. He wore a silver and green tie, which perhaps was the reason he looked familiar to her. But she couldn't put a name with his face. He had quite a handsome face.

Narcissa blushed. "I… yes, a bit. I'm always getting turned around on the stairs." She straightened, trying to look a bit less pathetic. Slytherins weren't supposed to look pathetic, according to Bella. They were always proud and dignified. "I'm trying to find the common room."

"Well you're on the opposite side of the castle for that," the boy cocked his head to the side. "You're Bellatrix's sister, aren't you?"

"Yes," Narcissa said proudly. "I'm Narcissa Black."

"Lucius Malfoy," the boy stuck out his hand. "I'm a fourth year."

Of course. He was a member of the Malfoy family. One of the few families that rivaled the Blacks in purity of blood. Narcissa had laid eyes on Lucius before but had never been bold enough to talk to him. Bellatrix of course never had that problem, but Narcissa was very different from her sister.

"You've had more time to get to know the castle than me then," Narcissa shook his hand. "Pleased to meet you… again. I mean we've met before I'm sure. But it's been awhile."

"It has." Lucius smiled at her and Narcissa's heart fluttered oddly in her chest. "I can escort you back to the common room. I have some time before class. And I know the castle well enough to get there quickly."

"Thank you." Narcissa nodded, trying not to sound too relieved or flustered.

She followed Lucius through the corridors. As he said, he knew the castle well, because it wasn't long before they found themselves at the entrance to the Slytherin common room.

"Thank you again," Narcissa said as the door swung open. "I hope it doesn't make you late to class."

"Since I'm never late, I don't think Professor Slughorn will mind much," Lucius nodded at her with a grin. "Keep an eye on the staircases next time."

"Right," Narcissa breathed. Then he left. She turned to find Bellatrix had already found her. She had a familiar grin on her face.

"Speaking with the Malfoy boy I see."

Narcissa flushed and crossed her arms. "I got lost and he showed me the way back. There's nothing funny."

"That must be why you can't stop blushing, eh Cissy?" Bellatrix shrugged. "Oh, its not as if I mind. If you're going to have a crush on an older boy, it might as well be one of good blood."

"I do _not _have a crush," Narcissa sputtered.

"Of course you don't. But come here." She grabbed Narcissa's arm and pulled her to the couches where some of her friends waited. "Word is still traveling around about that Alice Fortesue. I heard she continues to sympathize with bad blood. She defends mud bloods in all of Hufflepuff's classes with Slytherin, is that right?"

Narcissa bit her lip. She had heard the rumors too. They did get a bit extraordinary, but at the core they were true. Alice had made a habit of standing up to Slytherins. She was a pureblood of course, but Slytherins hated 'blood traitors' nearly as much as those with dirty blood. After all, wizards born with pureblood shouldn't waste their potential by associating with those lesser than them. Or so was the opinion of many members of Narcissa's family.

But to Narcissa, the boy making trouble with Alice and the Hufflepuffs had made her very uncomfortable.

"Cissy?" Bella cocked her head to the side.

Narcissa shrugged. "I mean, sure she sticks up for people. Not just muggle borns though. Everyone in her house. And she never starts it."

Bellatrix didn't seem to be listening though. "Filthy blood traitors. Its bad enough there's so little good, pure blood left. They have to make it worse. Next thing you know, they'll be marrying muggleborns and ruining their family lines. They might even marry _muggles_." She shook her head, scoffing at the notion.

Narcissa sighed and settled into a soft chair in the common room. She didn't remember when these words began coming out of Bellatrix's mouth. When they were still little and she thought herself clever to repeat the words of her parents. But it had become such a part of Bellatrix now that Narcissa feared she wasn't just repeating the words of their parents anymore.

No, she believed every word she said. And that scared Narcissa.

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_**A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'll see you guys again in a month or so. As always, REVIEW and let me know what you think :)**_


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